Directed by Guy Hamilton
Starring: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman
Rated PG
This week, I thought it would be fun to explore one of my favorite film series, the James Bond series. For the next five days, it will be interesting to dig deep one Bond film per decade, played by a different actor. Today we start off the first Bond actor, Sean Connery.
In 1964, Sean Connery returned to the role as James Bond with Goldfinger with great success. Often praised as one of the best Bond films, the film centers around 007 facing against Auric Goldfinger (played by Gert Fröbe) a villain who is in love with gold. Goldfinger is plotting to break into Fort Knox and poison its gold with radioactive material in order to increase his personal worth of gold. Now its up to 007 to stop Goldfinger before the villain achieves his plans.
The film is one of the first 007 films to be lighthearted and use the same tropes future Bond films would use. The contemporary artist singing over the credits, Bond and Q scene, and the use of the Aston Martin. The film almost feels relaxed and knows what its doing, in part because this is the third film in the series. By then, the producers knew what worked and what didn’t. While excellent films, the first two films almost felt like they were trying to embody the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Goldfinger is finally where the series becomes its own and became the spy series everyone tried to copy.
One of the reasons why Goldfinger feels different is due to the stellar performance of Sean Connery. Connery is often praised as one of the best Bond, and Goldfinger proves why he should get that title. Connery finally feels comfortable as the role, as he did have two films to see what works best. Connery can charm a women and win a fight at once, as proven by the cold open of the film. Connery is only as good as Bond because he is perfectly fitted with the villain Goldfinger. Fröbe plays the titular character as a calm and collective villain who doesn’t have to prove his is evil. He doesn’t have to yell or kill people directly to get his point across, just a smug look on his face does the job.
Accompanying the film is John Barry’s beautiful score that compliments the film well. The score features a multitude of instruments including a lush harp. Listening to the score not only enhances the film, but almost makes the film feel like its in a time most of us will never live. As mentioned before, elements of Goldfinger set the standard for future films in this series and the score is one of those elements.
Goldfinger is fun, energetic, and entertaining overall. Sean Connery gives a great performance as Bond as he finally feels at home with the character. If anyone were to start watching the Bond series, Goldfinger would be a great start. Its an iconic film that is certainly fun all around.
4/4
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